Tamil Nadu triple jumper Salahuddin wins silver at South Asian Games

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu triple jumper Mohd Salahuddin won silver with a performance of 16.16m at the 13th South Asian Games in Kathmandu on Thursday. The gold in the event was won by Salahuddin's compatriot Karthik Unnikrishnan (16.47m) while Sri Lanka's Safreen Ahmed (15.95m) finished with a bronze (15.95m).
"I am happy to have won silver in this tournament, but the performance could have been a lot better.We knew of our entries into this competition only a couple of weeks ago and it was important to come up with a good show," Salahuddin told TOI.
The 25-year-old, who hails from Coimbatore, has delivered consistent performances this season. He won gold medals at international competitions in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in July this year. He has also come up with podium finishes in domestic competitions. "This year has been eventful with numerous medals to my name," he said.
Salahuddin is scheduled to return to the national camp in Thiruvananthapuram in the coming days. He wants to achieve peak fitness ahead of the new season and also work on being more consistent.
"My next competition will be in March 2019. The aim is to be more consistent with regards to my jump. Each event next year will be important as I aim to qualify for the Olympics," Salahuddin said. With the qualification mark set at 17.14, Salahuddin will have a tough task on his hands as he looks to make the grade for the quadrennial event.